SZD-24 Foka
Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny · Poland · first flew 1960 · glider
The SZD-24 Foka (Seal) was a Polish high-performance single-seat Standard Class competition glider developed by the Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny (SZD) design bureau, first flown in 1960.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Unpowered sailplane — no engine
- Polish high-performance single-seat competition glider
- Winner of 1965 World Gliding Championships
Clean single-seat mid-wing glider with tapered wings, T-tail on later variants, and smooth glassfibre or wood-and-fabric construction; resembles other Standard Class sailplanes of the era.
Specifications
- The SZD-24 Foka has a length of 7 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Foka was developed by SZD as a competition sailplane and achieved notable international success, with Jan Wroblewski winning the 1965 World Gliding Championships in the Standard Class flying the improved Foka 4. The design underwent iterative refinement through several marks.
Variants
The line ran through the SZD-24A, B and C, the one-off Foka 2 and Foka 3, the SZD-24-4A Foka 4 and its Foka 45 and Foka M versions, and finally the T-tailed SZD-32 Foka 5.
Where you'll see it
The SZD-24 Foka and its successors were operated by Polish and international gliding clubs and competition pilots throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s.
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